Specification of William Brunton : steam engines and furnaces.

  • Brunton, William.
Date:
1854
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Specification of William Brunton : steam engines and furnaces. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Bruntons Improvements in Steam Engines, Furnaces, fyc. E, the packing of the upper piston. E, the packing of the lower piston. G, G, the reservoir containing the said fluid for preventing the passage of steam. H, the circular opening, to allow the fluid to come in contact with the 5 cylinder all round the double piston. Through the lower piston I make a hole or holes (a), communicating with the said receptacle above the surface of the said fluid, and large enough to admit steam freely and in sufficient quantity to maintain the lower side of the said lower piston and the said reservoir in a state of equilibrium. In this 10 state the said fluid contained in the said reservoir has no other tendency to pass the side of the said lower piston than its own gravity. During the ascending of the entire ox* double piston the steam acting upon the surface of the fluid in the said reservoir, has a tendancy to force part of it past the side of the said double piston, into the vacuous, that is, into the upper part of the cylinder 15 above the double piston, and during the descent of the said double piston, the fluid that is above it, or a portion thereof, is by the foi*ce of the steam down¬ ward returned past the side of the upper piston into the said reservoir. In order that any portion of the said fluid which may pass downward between the cylinder and the lower piston may be collected and returned again into the said 20 reservoir, I construct a groove or gutter b, b, round the cylinder bottom, but which groove or gutter in the bottom of the cylinder I do not claim as new, or of my Invention; and to the said groove or gutter I connect, by means of a cock or valve (c), which I call the under fluid valve, a vessel (d), of suitable capa¬ city, say, capable of containing three or four hundred cubic inches, or more or 25 less according to the size of the engine, which vessel (called by me the re¬ ceiver I inclose in another outer vessel (e, e), which properly speaking is a steam case, being kept full of steam to maintain the fluidity of the fusible metallic mixture (which I prefer to tallow or any other fluid), while collecting or contained in the said receiver (d). To the top of the said receiver I attach 30 a pipe, with a steam valve or cock (/), which pipe has its other end opening into the steam part of the boiler, and from the interior of the said receiver there is an ascending pipe (i, h,) having a cock or valve (g), which call the upper fluid valve. The lower orifice (i) of this pipe is so close to the bottom of the said receiver as only to allow the surrounding fluid metal to gain ready 35 access into the said pipe when pressed on by steam admitted for that purpose through the steam valve or cock (/), and the upper end opens into the cylinder of the engine above the range of the piston. The said pipe is steam-cased, to prevent any chilling of the fluid metal while passing from the lower reservoir to be thrown into the working cylinder above the piston ; while in operation 40 the under fluid valve (c) is open to allow the fluid to pass from the groove (b, b,)